China to indict former general on bribery charges

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese prosecutors will indict the military's former No. 2 official on bribery charges in an indication of the Communist Party's determination to fight corruption at all levels, state media said Tuesday.

Xu Caihou, former deputy chairman of the ruling Communist Party's powerful Central Military Commission, has admitted to allegations that he took "especially huge amounts" of bribes directly or through family members to help others get promoted or receive other benefits, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Xu is the most senior military figure snared in a sweeping crackdown on corruption launched by President Xi Jinping, and his case points to rampant corruption in the military ranks.

In this March 11, 2012 photo, Xu Caihou, then deputy chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, which controls China's military adjusts his glasses during a plenary session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. Chinese prosecutors have indicted the former top military leader on bribery charges, state media said Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Xu was the top uniformed officer in the military and ranked in seniority only behind then-President Hu Jintao, who was the commission chairman.

PLA Daily, the official newspaper of China's People's Liberation Army, said prosecutors will bring indictments against Xu in a military court.

It said Xu has bladder cancer but that prosecutors will ensure he receives medical treatment.

Xu also has been expelled from the Communist Party and his rank as general has been revoked, Xinhua said.

It is uncommon for the party to reveal corruption cases involving military personnel, but Beijing wants to send signals that its anti-graft campaign is serious and applies to everyone, no matter how high-ranking they are.

Xu's case "shows our party is determined to fight corruption," which has boosted morale among soldiers and protected the military's image, PLA Daily quoted an unidentified military official as saying.

FILE - In this March 9, 2012 file photo, Xu Caihou, left, then deputy chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, which controls China's military, chats with then Chongqing party secretary Bo Xilai, bottom right, after a plenary session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. Chinese prosecutors have indicted the former top military leader on bribery charges, state media said Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

In this March 11, 2012 photo, Xu Caihou, then deputy chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, which controls China's military attends a plenary session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. Chinese prosecutors have indicted the former top military leader on bribery charges, state media said Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)